Gear system



Jan. 19,- 1954 G. A. BoEcK Erm. 2,666,344

GEAR SYSTEM Filed Dec. 7, 1951 1 sheets-sheet 1 INVENToRs G.A.BoEcK 'eosoN J, HQwARo mfv Patented Jan. 19, 1954 GEAR SYSTEM Gunther A. Boeck, Mountain Lakes, N. J., and Edson J. Howard, Flushing, N. Y., assignors, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army ' original application August 14, 195o, serial No.

179,334. Divided and this application December 7, 1951, Serial No. 260,492

2 Claims. (Cl. 711-801) The present application is related toPatent No. 2,479,465 dated August 16, 1949 issued in the name of the present applicants and assigned to the Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc., in that the claims herein are claims cancelled, pursuant to a requirement of division, from the application filed August 14, 1950, lSerial Number 179,334, which application is a division of the patent indicated above.

This invention relates to control devices and more particularly to control devices operable to control a plurality of rotatable members such for instance as the rotor shafts of a plurality of variable electrical devices. n

The feature of the invention resides in a planetary gear means.

In the drawings: Y

Fig. 1 is a view, in perspective, of a planet gear means forming part of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows the body of the control device with certain parts mounted therein and certain other parts of the control device exploded out of the body;V

Fig. 3 is a plan View, in reduced scale, of the control device minus the back cover plate and shows parts mounted in the body;

Fig. 4.is va view, partly in section, of the control device and taken on the line '1 -'I in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view, partly in section, of the control device and takenon the line 8-8 in Fig. 3.

A planetary gear drive 48 comprising a sun gear 49, paired planet gears 50 and 5I and 52 and 53 and a ring gear 54 are provided in the control device. The sun gear 49, as shown in Fig. 2, is integral with or is secured on an enlarged portion 55 of a tubular shaft 56 through the bore of which the shaft I4 may extend, the shaft I4 and the tubular shaft 56 being secured against relative rotation by means of a pin 51 extending through a transverse aperture 58 in the tubular shaft 5B and a transverse aperture 59 in the shaft I4. The lower end 60 of the tubular shaft 56 is dimensioned to ilt into an aperture 6I formed in the center of a recessed portion 62 of a plate 63, the flange B4 of which is wider than the ring gear 54, the outside diameter of the plate 63 being equal to the outside diameter of the ring gear 54, the teeth of the ring gear 54 being on the inside of the ring gear 54. A segment gear comprising a toothed enlargement y64 on the ring gear 54 and an overlying and apertured toothed segment plate 65, shiftable relative to the enlargement 128 against the action of a spring 66, are provided as an anti-backlash gear portion on the ring gear 54. The plate 63 is designed to rest on the gear 45 shown in Fig. 2, the gear 45 as shown in Fig. 5 having a hub portion 6l journalled in a flanged bearing 68 supported in an apertured portion of the front wall I2 of the body II. The hub portion 61 of the gear 45 is secured by means of screws 69 to the cup-type support 25 of the detent means 20. The shaft I4 is journalled in a bearing 'IIl in the gear 45.

The gear 45 may rotate on the sahft I4 and is in mesh with an idler gear 'l I rotatably supported on a bearing I2 supported on a bolt 'I3 mounted in the body II. The idler gear 1I is in mesh with a relatively wide pinion 'I4 rotatably supported on a shaft 'I5 mounted in the body I I. The pinion I4 is in mesh with the toothed enlargement 64 and the toothed segment plate 55 on the ring gear 54.

The rocker arm 42 is T-shaped in form and serves as a mechanical driving means between the gear 44 secured. on the shaft I5 and the gear 45 rotatably mounted on the shaft I4. One end of the body portion 'I6 of the rocker arm 42 terminates in an apertured, enlarged and circular end portion 'I'I forming the pivotally supported'end of the rocker arm 42. The other end of the body portion 'I6 terminates in the cross-arm portion "I8 carrying an attached segment plate IS extending under the gear 44. The cross-arm portion d3 is constructed to provide an anti-backlash gear segment in mesh with the gear 44, the anti-backlash gear segment 8l)y comprising the cross-arm portion I8 equipped with teeth, and a second segment 8! equipped with teeth and overlying the cross-arm portion 78. The second segment iii is shiftable on and relative to the cross-arm portion 18 and is provided with elongated apertures 82 accommodating mounting pins 83 mounted on the cross-arm portion la and extending through the second segment 8l. A spring 54 is provided to constantly urge the second segment 8i length- Wise and relative to the cross-arm portion i8 to prevent lost motion between the gear 44 and the rocker arm 42.

Secured to and overlying the body portion 'H6 of the rocker arm 42 is a bar 85 having an apertured enlargement 86. Overlying the bar 85 is an apertured arm 8l pivotally supported at 43 and having an apertured enlargement 88. The pivotally supported end of the bar 8l has a gear portion 89 the teeth of which are in mesh with the gear 45. A spring 9|] engaging the apertured enlargements 36 and 88 urges the bar 8l relative to the rocker arm 42 to prevent lost motion between the rocker arm parts and the gear 45.

When the shaft I5 is rotated the gear 44 pvotally moves the rocker arm 42 to rotate the gear 45 which is in driving connection with the ring gear 54 through the gear ll, pini-on 'i4 and segment portion 94 and plate 55 on the ring gear 59. If the shaft l5 is held againstv rotation the ring gear 54 and the gear 45 cannot rotate.

The sun gear 49 in the planetary gear means 48 is constructed and arranged to mesh with th-e planet gears 59, 5|, 52 and 53 Which are arranged in pairs and to mesh with the teeth on the inner circular part of the ring gear 54. Thepaired ar rangement of the planet gears clearly .shown in Fig. 3 which shows one pair .oi the planet gears comprising the planet gears 59 and 5| supported in spaced relation. The planet gears are constructed alike and the description of one willbe sucient for an understanding of the structure of all. The planet gear 59 comprises a gear wheel portion 9| having apertured hub portions 92 .and 93 extending from opposite faces of the portion 9| and defining an aperture 9,4. Each hub portionV 92 and 93 has. an annular groove 9.5 formed in the outer cylindrical surface to receive a hookshaped end 9.5 of a` spring wire support 9.1 comprising a pair oi spring Wires 99 and ,9.9 held in parallel spaced relation'by a clip |99, end portions Il` and |92 of Which are bent around the respective spring wires 99 and 99. Oney end or the spring wire 9,8 extends into the groove 9.5 in the hub portion 92 of the planet gear 59 and the hook portion 98 is made to loosely embrace the huh portion 92 and s-o that the hub portion 92 is in eiect, journailed in the hook portion 99.v rEhe other end of the spring wire 9,8 extends into the groove 95 in the hub portion 93 of the planet gear 5|` and `has a hook portion |93 located in the groove 95 and loosely embracing the hub portion of the planet gear 5|. The spring wire 99 is formed like the spring Wire 93 and has hookshaped end portions |94 and |95, the hook-shaped end portion |94 loosely embracing the hub portion 93 of the planet gear 50 and the hook-shaped end portion |95 loosely embracing the hub portion 93 of` the planet gear 5|, each hook-shaped end portion restingY in a groove 95 in the hub portion embraced. It will be seen as shown in Fig. l that the planet gears 59 and 5i are held in spaced relation by the spring wires 99 and 99 and that normally the major portions of the spring wires 98 and 99 extend in straight lines from the planet gear 59 to the planet gear 5|. The planet gears 52 and 53 are constructed and mounted on spring wire members 9B and 99 in the same manner as the planet. gears 59 and 5|. The distance from center to center of a pair of planet gears mount- CII ed on the spring wires 98 and 99, the diameter of the sun gear 49 and the inside diameter of the ring gear 54 are such that when the planet gears 59, 5|, 52 and 53 are set into the ring gear 54 as shown in Fig. 4 and the sun. gear 49x is; entered in the ring gear 54 in required position as shown in Fig. 6 the spring wire supports of the planet gears involving the spring Wires 93 and 99 are bowed slightly outward relative to the axis of the sun gear 49. The spring pressure developed in theA spring `Wires S15-and 99 by reason of the bowing thereof helps to keep the planet gears 50, 5|, 52 andv 53, in true mesh with the ring gear 54 and the sun gear 49 and` ring gear 54 in the same position in regard to each other, thus eliminating backlash between them.

What is claimed; is:

1'. A planetary gear system comprising, in comlOlnati-on,v a sun gear, a ring gear concentric with said sun gear, a pair of planet gears in gear connection with said sun gear and said ring gear Vand a flexible supporting means for said planet gears comprising a pair of parallel spaced spring wires, said Wires having hooked shaped end portions which respectively embrace. said planet gears operating to, hold said planet gears in spaced relaion.

2. A planetary gear system comprising in combination a sun gear, a ring gear concentric with said sun gear, anda pairof planet gears in gear connection with said sun gear and said ring gear, each of said planet gears comprising a gear wheel portion and hub portions extending from the opposite faces of Said gear Wheel portion, each of said hub portions being provided with an annular groove formed in its outer cylindricalsurface and means for supporting said planet gears comprising a pairof parallel spaced spring wires, each of said wires. having their ends terminating in hooked shaped portions, the hooked shaped portions of one pair of said ends of said wires embracing said annular grooves of `one of said planet gears, the other ends of said wires embracing the annular grooves of the other said gear.

GNTHER A., BOECK. ED'SON- J. HOWARD.

References 'Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES. PATENTS Number Nam-e Date 2,479,465 Boeck etal Aug. 16, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date '721,714 Germany May "l, 1942 

